Tuyere



S. P. KINNE A ril 9, 1946.

TUYERE Filed May 1945 INVENTUR SeZ W WZEPK QY .ZZ IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIAII r 'IIIIIIIIIIIIAMIIIIII Patented Apr. 9, 1946 2398,1198 TUYERE Selwyne P. Kinney, Grafton, Pa., assignor of onel'ourth to Richard C. Butler, one-fourth to John M. Hughes, one-fourth to Joseph H. Carter, all of Youngstown, Ohio, and one-fourth to John B. Henry, Aspinwall, Pa.

ApplicationMay 13, 1943, Serial No. 486,781

11 Claims.

This invention pertains to tuyres for metallurgical furnaces. and especially to ablast furnace tuyere.

As is well known in the art, tuyres are radially disposed in a blast furnace at the bottom of the bosh and project into the hearth of the furnace beyond the furnace walls. While various forms of tuyres have heretofore been devised, those most commonly used are circular in cross section. customarily they are formed of metal with a water space around the air passage thereof for cooling the tuyre. In some instances the nose of the tuyre is provided with an internal fin projecting back into the water space for providing extended cooling surface for the nose.

The present invention has for its purpose to provide a tuyre, the forward or inner end of which, instead of being circular in section, is of a modified form intended to lengthen the life of the tuyre as it is normally used and the position of which may be changed from normal to correct I or overcome situations that may be peculiar to conditions found in a particular furnace or a part of a particular furnace. One single design of tuyre is thus adaptable to difierent situations" which are from time to time encountered.

In carrying out my invention, the forward portion of the tuyre is generally ovate form in cross section, the upper part above the center line of the tuyre being spherical or modified to a semielliptical form from the lower part of generally triangular form. This shape'provides many advantages, which will be hereinafter more fully described. Preferably, the rear end of the tuyrc is circular to enable it to be installed in the usual manner or substituted for circular tuyres in existing installations.

My invention may be more fully understood by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through a tuyre embodying my invention; v

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the tuyre shown in Figure 1, the nose end of the tuyre being in elevation; 4

Figure 3 is a View similar to Figure 1 of a slightly modified form of tuyre;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2, but

showing the modified form of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a transverse vertical section in the plane of line V-V of Figure 3.

Referring first to Figures 1 and 2, the tuyre. designated generally as 2, has a nose 3, an exterior shell l, terminating in a circular tapered the air passage 1, there being a water chamber 8 between the sleeve 6 and the shell I. At the inner end of the tuyere is a wall structure 9 having openings I 0 therein to receive water circulating pipes, not shown. In use, the circular flow of the furnace charge and its abrasive action. and to the down fiow of molten metal or material from the zone above. The tuyre may be made in various ways, but as illustrated com prises an integral casting, the metals usually employed being copper or bronze.

According to my invention, the exterior shell 4 of the tuyre is non-circular in cross section. being generally of a colloidal form, or raindrop or top form. This shape, the exact present preferred contour of which is shown in the drawing, will be hereinafter referred to as an ovate shape. While a preferred shape is shown, it may be modified in various respects from the specific contour illustrated.

Examining the shape of the tuyre in cross section, reference may be had to the line 0-0 which is a horizontal line passing through the longitudinal axis of the tuyere. Above the line CC (reference being had to Figure 2) the cross section generally is semi-ovular or semi-elliptical with the line 0 0 defining the long diameter of the oval. Below the line C-C the form is gener: ally triangular, sharp corners, however, being avoided.

The inner sleeve 6 is concentric with the outer shell, so that the passage 1 has the same cross sectional shape as the outer shell, the discharge orifice in the nose of the tuyre also having the same shape.

The tuyre shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5 is es"- sentially the same as that shown in Figures 1 and 2. and the same reference numerals have been used to 'designate the corresponding parts. The only difference is in the provision of a series of fins II on the nose inside the water chamber 8 providing extended cooling area for the thickened nose portion. This series of fins might, except besetintotheiurnaceinthepositionshownin Figure2,i.e.withthe widepartupandthe triangular part down. In this position, molten material flowing down the interior of the furnace over the tuyere will slough off the more steeply sloped bottom portion of the inverted raindrop or conoidai form, doing away with accumulation on the underside of the tuyere which is one reason for the short life of circular tuyres.

Moreover, the shape of the passage does not decrease the area of free flow as compared with a corresponding size of circular tuyere, but a diii'erent effect is produced upon the air stream discharged into the furnace. The air stream delivered from the wide upper portion of the tuyre fans out sideways into the hearth over a relatively large area while the portion of the stream projected from the triangular lower form is more concentrated and penetrates farther toward the center of the furnace. Thus, the blast is distributed more eflectively than the blast from the conventional circular. tuyre.

In normal position of use, the tuyre is streamlined against the down flowing material and accumulation under the tuyre is reduced, while the air is distributed to better advantage, dead air space being lessened by the fanning out of a portion of the stream and better penetration toward the center being secured from the lower part of the stream.

In some conditions of operation, t e abrasive effect of materials passing over the nose of the tuyere is more destructive than the cutting effect of molten iron on the under surface. In this case, the tuyere is turned 180 from the'normal position, so that the triangular portion points up. This provides a minimum exposed exterior surface at the top of the tuyere, the exposed upper area being less than that of circular tuyeres of .comparable passage area, and the materials easily slide over the steep sides, while the point of the triangular shell splits the flow of material and reduces the tendency of the material to hang on the tuyre. The air-flow pattern is of course just reversed by this turning of the tuyere, the penetrating portion now being at the top and the larger mass diffusing over or fanning out over a large area being at the bottom. This change in the air-flow may of itself constitute a primary reason for turning the tuyre over.

in the operation 01 a given furnace. and notwithstanding these advantages, my invention. is adapted to existing equipment and installations without change of construction in any respect.

While I have illustrated particular embodiments or my invention, it will be understood that the exact shape may be changed and other modifications may be made within the contemplation oi my invention and under the scope of the following claims, and that the term "ovate as used herein is intended to cover a top or heart or pear-shaped passage of the general shape illustrated, that is, a generally ovate form, having an arch'ed or elliptical upper part and converging sides below said upper part.

I claim:

l. A tuyere having an air discharge passage of approximately ovate cross section.

2. A tuyere having the exterior of the nose portion thereof approximately ovate in cross section.

3. A tuyere having its exterior and air passage therethrough of approximately ovate cross section.

4. A tuyere having an'air passage therethrough which at the discharge end of the tuyere is of ovate form in cross section with the part on one side of the transverse axis generally triangular.

' and on the part on the other side of said axis In some operations, material builds up on the bosh between the tuyres and over the tuyres. This can be controlled or accumulations can be removed by turning the tuyere 90 from the position shown in the drawing, so that the air from the tuyere so turned fans out vertically instead of horizontally and moreover, since rotating the tuyre will carry the point of the triangle to one side or the other of the axis of the tuyere, and hence to a position to one side or the other of a radius extending from the center of the hearth to the center of the tuycre, the wide part of the blast will thus be to one side or the other, enabling accumulation on the bosh to be controlled.

Moreover, while I have indicated specifically the turning of the bosh to 90 in either direction and to 180 from the position shown in the draw ing, a tuyere, or series of tuyres may be turned to intermediate angles in either direction to meet a particular needor condition.

By reason of my invention, certain destructive eiiects on the tuyere may be lessened and a single form or tuyere can be utilized to change the air distribution pattern over the hearth in a wide variety of ways to meet special conditions arising generally semi-ovular.

, 5. A tuyere having an air passage therethrough which at the discharge end of the tuyere is of an ovate form in cross section with the part at one side of the transverse axis generally triangular in cross section, and the part on the other side of said axis generally semi-ovular in cross section, the exterior of the discharge and being concentric with the walls of the air passage.

6. A tuyere having an inner end portion which is approximately. circular and a nose portion which is approximately of an ovate form,which is generally triangular in section on one side of the plane of the axis of the tuyre, and semielliptical on the other side of said axis.

7. A tuyere having an approximately circular portion to be received in a standard tuyere housing and having a projecting nose portion with a passage th'erethro'ugh which is of an ovate form, with a portion to one side of the plane of the axis elliptical and the other side triangular.

8. A tuyere having a circular portion to be received in a standard tuyre housing, and having a projecting nose portion with a passage therethrough which is non-circular in cross section, and non-symmetrical about the longitudinal axis of the tuyere, the exterior of the nose portion being concentric with th'e walls of said passage.

9. A tuyere oi the class described having a circular portion adapted to be received in a tuyere support, and a nose portion with a single passage therethrough, the said passage having a generally triangular cross-section'al form for its area at one side of the transverse axis, and an approximately eliiptical area at the other side of the transverse axis, with the approximately elliptical dimension of said long area substantially coinciding with the transverse axis of the tuyre.

10. A tuyre oi the class described Having a circular portion adapted to be received in a tuyere support, and a nose portion with a single passage therethrough, the said passage having the transverse axis, with the long dimension of said approximately elliptical area substantially is approximately triangular in cross section at one side of its transverse axis and approximately elliptical on the other side of the transverse axis,

the exterior of the discharge end being concentric with the walls of the air passage.

SELWYNE P. KINNEY. 

